Cutting-off machine.



No. 794.389. Q PATENTED JULY 11, 1905- J. J. BOAX. a

CUTTING OFF MACHINE.

APPLIOATION rum) 2mm. 1904.

3 SHEETSBHBHT 1.

WITNESSES. INVENTQRQ Zia/2c: Lag; H4r zm No. 794.389- PATENTED JULY 11. 1905.

- J. J. BOAX.

CUTTING OFF MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB.4, 1904.

' s SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVEZRQ in Ill '1 I I:

WITNESSES.

No. 794.389. PATENTED JULY 11, 1905.

' J. J. BOAX.

CUTTING OFF MACHINE. APPLIOATION FILED 2mm. 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES. INVENTOR.

UNITED STATES Patented July 11, '1905.

PATENT OEEIQE.

JOHN J. BOAX, OF MCKEESPORT, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL TUBE COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF NEIV JERSEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 794,389, dated July 11, 1905.

Application filed February 4, 1904. Serial No. 192,032.

To all whom, it may c0ncerm- Be it known that I, JOHN J BoAX, a resident of McKeesport, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Cutting-Off Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to metal-cutting machines, and more especially to machines for cutting off large-sized metal pipes or tubes.

The object of my invention is to provide a machine for this purpose in which the feeding of the cutter against the pipe is more positive than in prior machines, which is more efficient and can be operated with less labor than prior machines for this purpose, and which provides means for positively rotating the pipe or tube, so as to bring all portions thereof under the cutter.

The form of machine most commonly used for the purpose of cutting off large-sized pipes or tubes comprises a rotating cutter which is adapted to be moved toward and from the pipe and which will not only cut through the walls thereof, but by its rotation will also serve to rotate the pipe, so as to cut all around the same. In practice, however, it is found that the cutter will put the pipe in rotation only with difficulty or only by the exertion of great pressure of the cutter on the pipe, and this has a tendency to distort or flatten the same. In practice it is necessary in order to rotate the pipe to press the cutter tightly against the pipe before starting the cutter to rotate. This results in a considerable loss of time and lessens the output of the machine. In such prior machines the cutter-spindle has been mounted in a vertically-moving head and overhangs the bearing in said head. As the spindle and bearing are comparatively short and the cutter overhangs the same heavy pressure on the latter soon results in wearing away the bearing and throwing the cutter out of a true vertical position. Furthermore, the adjustment of the cutter-carryingspindle head toward and from the tube has heretofore been performed entirely by manual labor, and as this is a difficult operation to perform it has necessitated at times two additional workmen. The cutter-spindle was driven from a stationary motor by means of wabblers or similar connections, thus driving said spindle somewhat irregularly and subj ecting the bearings to excessive wear.

The object of my invention is to provide a machine of the character just described wherein the foregoing difliculties are overcome.

To these ends the invention consists, generally stated, in providing a pair of movable heads for carrying the cutter-spindle, so as to provide two bearings for said spindle near opposite ends thereof, thus overcoming the severe wear due to the thrust of the overhanging cutter, in providing improved chain-gearing for driving said adjustable spindle from a stationary motor, in providing power mechanism for adjusting the cutter-spindle carrying-heads, and in an additional rotating friction device arranged to contact with the tube and aid the cutter in rotating same.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved machine. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, partly in section. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the screw driving means. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4 4, Fig. 1 and Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line 5 5, Fig. 1.

The machine comprises asuitable base 1, on which are erected vertical standards or housings 2. On the base 1 are mounted a pair of idle rollers 3, upon which the pipe 4 to be cut off is placed and upon which said pipe will rotate. The standards or housings 2 are provided with suitable vertical guideways 5, on which are slidably mounted the spindle-carrying heads 6. To the latter are connected the non-rotatable screws 6, which extend upwardly and pass through rotatable nuts mounted in the top of the housings. To these nuts are secured suitable gears, such as worm-wheels, with which mesh worms 9. These worms are adapted to be driven by any suitable reversing mechanism, such as the electric motor 10, by means of which the heads 6 can be raised and lowered without manual manipulation other than the starting or reversing of the motor 10, thus dispensing with the manual labor heretofore necessary in rior machines of this character.

11 the heads 6 is mounted the cutter-spindle 12, this spindle being of such length as to extend from one head to the other, and thus having its bearing near the opposite ends thereof. The cutter '13 is secured to one'end of this spindle and overhangs the bearing; but by reason of the length of the spindle pressure on the cutter will not tend to throw the shaft out of alinement, as in prior machines having only a single bearing for the shaft. This shaft is driven from the sta tionary motor 18, which may be connected to said shaft by sprocket-and-chain gearing, but preferablyby a modification'thereof comprising gear-wheels =19 and a chain belt 20. This form of gearing-drives the shaft 1 6 with great smoothness and uniformity, thus resulting in the minimum amount of wear on the shaft-bearings. Also mounted inone of the heads 6, just back of the shaft 12, :is a counter-shaft 16, which is driven from *the shaft -12 by spur-gears 17. Theshaft 16 at one end extends beyond the head 6, and

loosely mounted'on said-extension is :aswinging "head or arm 22, having mounted on its outer-enda short spindle 23, which isconnected to the shaft 16 by the spur-gears 24, and which also carries a'friction-wheel 25, which "is adapted to "be brought into contact with the pipe 4 inorder to rotate the same. The wheel 25 normallyis Eheld elevated or=out of contact-with the pipe,'this beingaccomplished bymeans'of-a counterweight 26and spring 27 Whileeitherone 'alone might be used, I prefer to use both, the spring serving to prevent rattle due to the jarring'of the mach1ne;'but if the spring-alone wereused it Wouldhave to be sostrong that it would require too much strength to pull the wheel down into contact with the pipe; but by using both the spring and the counterweight I overcome rattlin and-'atthe'same timelessen'the power required to lower the wheel into contact with-the pipe.

, A lever'28 is provided on'the-arm22 for low- 'ering the wheel 25'into contact with the tube, and when in its elevated position said lever presses against the stop 29,thus limiting the upward movement of the wheel.

In the use of my machine the pipe 4 to be out off is placed on the rollers 3 in the usual manner. The heads 6 will then be lowered by means-of the motor 10 until the cutter is about to contact with the pipe. The-operator then pulls down the handle 28, bringing the friction-wheel 25 into contact with the pipe, andas said wheel is rotated from the shaft l6 it sets the ipe'in rotation. The further lowering of t e heads 6 will then bring the cutter against the-pipe, and'as soon as the pressure of the'cutter on the pipeis sufficient to maintain it in rotation the operator will release-the lever 28, thus permitting the fricoperator is necessary, as he can both start,

stop, and reverse the motor '10, control the motor 18, and operate the friction-wheel 25. The ipe will be rotated positively and without 516 necessity of bearlng the cutter down on the same with the pressure necessary with the old type of machine. Furthermore, with the old type of machine it was necessary to press thecutter tightly against the pipe before starting the cutter to rotate, thus losing considerable time, which is obviated by my machine. The driving means for :the cutterspindle, furthermore, is such that such spindle will be driven with much greatersmoothness than heretofore and with much less wear on the cutter-spindle bearings.

What I claim is- 1. In a pipe-cutting imachine, .fihe'COIIibh nation with supporting-rollers for the .pipe, of :a rotating cutter movable toward theipiperand arranged tocut on the exterior thereof, and a rotating friction device independent of the cutter and arranged :to 'be brought into conarranged to contact with the exterior-of the pipe, and :mechanism for rotating said wheel.

3. In a pipe-cutting machine, the combination *with supporting-rollers ifor the pipe, of a rotating cutter movable toward the pipe ;and:arran ed to out.on theexterior:thereof, a

friction-w eel arran ed to be moved toward the pipe, counterba ancing means for moving the same out of :contact with the pipe, and mechanism for rotatingisaid wheel.

4. In a pipe-cutting machine, .thecoinbination with supporting-rollers for the pipe, of a rotating cutter, :a driven shaft, an .arm pivoted thereon, :a spindle mounted said arm and geared to said shaft, and a frictionwheel on said spindle :and arranged to contact with the pipe.

5. in a ipe-cutting machine, :the-combination wit supporting-"rollers for IthG'PiPG, of a cutter arranged toicutonthe-exterior-of the pipe, a friction-wheel, :a pivoted arm :in which said friction-wheel is mounted and whereby-it is movabletoward the'pi e,-;mechanism for rotating said friction-w eel, rand mounted thereon, a spindle mounted in said arm-and geared to said shaft, a friction-Wheel on said spindle and arranged to contact With the pipe, a lever for lowering said Wheel, and counterbalancing means for raising said Wheel.

7. In a ipe-cutting machine, the combination Wit supporting-rollers for the pipe, of a cutter, a pivoted arm, a spindle mounted therein, means for driving said spindle, a frictionwheel on said spindle arranged to contact With the pipe, a lever connected to said arm forlowering the same, and a counterweight and counterbalancing-spring for raising said Wheel.

8. In a pipe-cutting machine, the combination With the housings, of a pair of vertically-movable heads, a spindle mounted at both ends in said heads, a cutter on said spindle and overhanging its bearings, a countershaft mounted in said heads and geared to said spindle, a stationary motor, and chaingearing connecting the same and said counter-shaft.

9. In a pipe-cutting machine, the combination With supporting-rollers for the pipe, of vertically-movable heads, a cutter-spindle mounted therein, a counter-shaft also mounted in said heads and geared to said spindle, an arm pivotally mounted on said countershaft, a spindle mounted in said arm and geared to said counter-shaft, and a frictionwheel on said spindle arranged to be brought into contact With said pipe.

In testimony whereof I, the said JOHN J. BOAX, have hereunto set my hand.

JOHN J. BOAX. Witnesses:

ROBERT C. TOTTEN, G. KREMER. 

